Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested an Ivorian national and a Nigerian medical doctor over alleged involvement in cocaine trafficking and a wider drug network operating across multiple states.
The Ivorian suspect, Gohouri Michael, 41, was intercepted at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport during outbound screening for an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Milan, Italy, via Addis Ababa. He was found to have ingested 82 wraps of cocaine, weighing about 1.49kg. Investigations revealed he had moved between Lagos, Enugu, and Kano before ingesting the drugs in a hotel, and was allegedly promised €5,000 upon successful delivery in Italy. He was also reportedly receiving instructions from an unidentified coordinator behind the operation.
Further intelligence led NDLEA operatives to a suspected mastermind, a 69-year-old medical doctor, Dr Chudi Ofomata, who was arrested at his residence in Magboro, Ogun State. He was later found with 63 grams of promazepam and several ampoules of promethazine injection.
In a separate operation, NDLEA officers intercepted a Chisco Transport luxury bus (AGU 442 XB) along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway while heading to Port Harcourt. A search uncovered 15kg of skunk concealed in the vehicle, leading to the arrest of two suspects identified as Kingsley Nsofor and Opara Ifeanyi.
Across other operations nationwide, the agency arrested multiple suspects and seized large quantities of illicit substances. In Abia State, a 90-year-old man was arrested with 7.7kg of skunk, while three suspects were detained in Ogun State with 34kg of the same substance. In Imo State, a 26-year-old woman was arrested with 56.2kg of skunk, and in Niger State, a couple was caught with 118kg hidden in their home.
In Borno State, a trailer conveying Rohypnol tablets, codeine syrup, and pentazocine injections was intercepted, while in Mushin, Lagos, operatives recovered 26,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup and arrested two suspects.
